Beautiful Magic: Year One
by PandaMarx728
Summary: What happens when the orphan, outcast, and animal lover extraordinaire, Harper Costello receives a peculiar letter? The first year in Harper's new life at Hogwarts! Follows a combination of the movies and books. Comment/review please and let me know how I can improve/if I should continue. Thanks! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of J.K Rowling's characters.
1. Chapter 1

She had just returned from walking the local shelter dogs when Hollie silently handed her the letter. Not only had Harper never gotten a letter before, but this letter was peculiar. It was addressed:

_Harper J. Costello_

_Bed under the left window, Girl's dormitory_

_St. Augustine's Orphanage _

_725 E. Paddington Lane_

_Bristol, UK_

The handwriting was fancy and in beautiful emerald, green ink. In the corner, the return address said, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". Even in all the books she was constantly reading, she had never heard of this school before. The envelope was sealed with a purple wax coat of arms. On the odd crest were tiny images of a lion, a snake, a badger and an eagle. Hollie gave her a quizzical look and lightly shook her head, causing the loose bun of flaming red hair to jiggle a bit, then stormed off back to the kitchen. Harper watched the round figure of her middle-aged caretaker march around the corner in stunned silence before running up the stairs to the bedroom that she shared with seven other girls.

Her short, brown hair bounced as she rushed past the other beds to her own, right under one of the two windows in the room. It got a bit chilly in the winter, but Harper loved this bed because she could watch the people hurrying in and out of the quaint little café across the old, cobbled back-street in their rushed morning routines and she kept all her little knick-knacks from her adventures around town on the sill. On the ledge were bits of shells from the river, bottle caps with interesting designs, old keys that probably didn't have a door anymore, a bundle of long feathers (mostly from the local water-fowl), two local post cards that had been dropped by an interesting group of tourists from Japan that she shadowed one day, and various other little trinkets. In the corner of the window, there was a spider web that Harper often attempted to draw and was reminded that she couldn't draw every time. Under her bed, she kept her small library of old books she often bought from the second-hand store with the money she earned from walking both neighborhood and shelter dogs and under her pillow, she kept the current book that she always had checked out from the library.

She picked up the intricately designed bronze letter opener that she had found on the street earlier that year, and gently sliced open the envelope, careful not to damage the strange seal, thinking that it would make an intriguing addition to her windowsill collection. Even though her mind was racing through theories as to what the letter could be about and what "Hogwarts" was, she took her time gently pulling the letter from the envelope and carefully smoothing the letter out on her lap. Her doubts started the moment she read, "Dear Ms. Costello, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" because, unless Hollie had without telling her (which she highly doubted due to Hollies reaction to the letter), Harper had never applied for any school, let alone one with such a strange and illogical name. Her doubts about the legitimacy of this letter kept growing as she saw pet owls, cauldrons, and wands on the school supplies list. By the time she finished the letter, she had already dismissed the whole thing as a joke and she could feel her eyes starting to water. She refused to let herself cry over a stupid joke letter so she just took a deep breath, rubbed her eyes, got up, walked across the wood floor and shredded the letter, envelope and all, over the trash can.

Every day for the next week, Harper went to all her favorite places around town, from the river's edge to the abandoned cathedral, in an attempt to forget about the letter. The first letter she had ever gotten in all her eleven years at the orphanage, and it was nothing more than a joke. She couldn't stop thinking about the cruelty of it all. Of course, if it was random, they didn't know. But Harper just knew that it was one of the boys at school. They were always picking on her, calling her a freak. She couldn't help that weird things always happened to her. For example, one day in May, a ferret that had a large gash on his left haunch found its way into the school and followed her everywhere, dodging all the teachers attempts to catch him. Even when animal control was called they couldn't catch it (of course the fact that Harper hid him in her bag didn't help). She snuck him back to the orphanage, patched him up, let him go and he occasionally came to her window by climbing the rain gutter where she would pet him and wonder how he stayed in such good shape living on his own.

Another time, a cow who had apparently laid down on a nail that was then stuck in its shoulder, waited in the front yard of her school until she walked out and then it followed her all the way back to St. Augustine's. She took some first-aid equipment (with questioning looks from Hollie and the other kids) down to the river Avon where she pulled the nail out, cleaned the hole and taped some gauze over the whole mess. She met with Betsy (she had named the cow) in the same spot every day and repeated the treatment until the wound seemed to be healing nicely and she stopped meeting her there.

Those were the two major events that started the teasing. Everything else was minor stuff, her science project flower grew three times the size it was supposed to, the fish in the classroom fish tank always seemed to follow her whenever she walked by and one time, when a boy from her class was bullying her on her way home, a ferocious stray mutt came out of nowhere with his hackles straight up and growled at him. After the boy had run away, the dog relaxed, turned towards Harper wagged his tail and gently licked her hand. Harper had named him Brutus and while he was very large, he was extremely gentle towards her. Brutus often followed her around like a bodyguard on her wonderings. On these days, she would stop at the butchers who would give her a free bone for Brutus because he had seen her being harassed many times before and felt pity for her. She stopped thinking about the other kids and focused on her surroundings. She was sitting cross-legged on her favorite grassy hill of a river bank dotted with trees. While Harper stared at the reflection of the buildings and summer sunset on the Avon, contemplating the strange letter she had gotten six days earlier, she ran her hand through the thick, soft, grey fur on Brutus's massive head.

Harper had just lowered her list of suspects down to two when out from the shadows of the nearby hawthorn tree, came a grey and black tabby cat with peculiar spectacle markings on its face. It cautiously walked towards Harper, its eyes trained on Brutus the whole time.

"It's ok. He doesn't mind cats." Harper giggled a bit patting Brutus's head "He's actually a bit afraid of you guys. He's a big baby really."

The cat seemed to understand and sat down about ten feet away, gently wrapping its tail in front of its paws. After about three minutes of just staring at each other, both Harper and the cat turned their heads towards the river. Harper stared at the river thinking "Maybe I am going crazy… Oh well" and pulled her knees up to her chest. She smiled contently as she looked down at the blades of grass between her worn, navy-blue converse, when all the sudden, out of the corner of her eye, the shadow of the cat grew tall and flowing. Harper just stared, wide-eyed at the shadow not daring to look up.

"And now the delusions are starting. They're definitely gonna' put me in a nut-house now" Harper mumbled under her breath.

"Are you Harper J. Costello?" asked the slightly Scottish accented voice of an older woman.

Harper looked up and saw a women dressed in long, emerald green robes. Her black hair was streaked with grey and pulled severely back into a bun. Her small, round, spectacles had a thin gold rim and were balanced halfway down her nose. Her face was very serious but Harper could see the spark of pity in her green eyes when she looked at the hunched figure. Brutus let out a low, short growl at the strange lady.

"Y-yes" Harper stammered in a dry, shaky voice.

"Albus told me that you would probably not understand your acceptance letter and I see he was right." She let out sigh and looked Harper straight through her glasses and into the light brown eyes beneath, "Have you ever noticed strange things happening to you? Have you ever been able to do things that the other children couldn't?"

Harper's eyes widened and as she stared straight into this woman's face. Finally, she slowly nodded.

"I'm a freak aren't I? You're here to take me away aren't you?"

"You are not a freak Harper. You are a witch. It is most unfortunate that you ended up in a muggle orphanage. Your parents were some of my favorite pupils. We all thought they would leave you an explanation of all this seeing as they had no living relatives left. I expect you read the letter we sent? Hogwarts is a school for gifted children like you. There, your abilities will be honed and you will learn all about our kind."

There was a pause. Strangely, this made perfectly logical sense to Harper. It would explain all the strange things that had happened to her. Why everybody just avoided her. Why she had occasionally seen the future in her dreams and animals would come from miles around to see her. How she was able to heal without any prior knowledge on the subject. A thousand questions burst into her head, but there was one particular thing bugging her about what this woman had said.

"What's a muggle?"

The woman actually chuckled softly, which softened her stern features for a moment, "Everything will be explained in time my dear. Do you wish to come to Hogwarts?"

Harper didn't have to think too much about it. Getting away from all the kids in school, maybe being considered normal for once, and best of all, she might even be able to learn about her parents. She was left on St. Augustine's doorstep when she was just nine months old with nothing but a blanket (that she kept in a shoebox beneath her bed) and a piece of paper that said "Harper Jamie Costello" (which she always kept on her windowsill). While she had long ago come to terms with her abandonment, the question of who her parents were and why they left her, had always persisted in the back of her mind.

"Of course! I read the letter but I don't even know where to begin looking for cauldrons or wands. And I've never even seen a store that carries robes as school uniforms. On top of that, I don't have enough money to buy a new pair of shoes let alone a new set of text books."

The woman's face had gone back to its serious demeanor "That's alright dear. I have everything planned out. I will come back in a few weeks to discuss the arrangement with your caretaker, Hollie is her name? For now though, I must go back."

She was turning to leave when Harper said, "Hold on a minute. If I may ask, who are you?"

"I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, transfigurations teacher and head of Gryffindor house at Hogwarts."

"Oh…"

And with that, Professor McGonagall quickly turned, shrunk back down to a cat and bounded off. Brutus whimpered lightly and Harper patted his head to comfort him. She kissed the top of his head and stood. Lacing together her fingers, she reached up toward the violet sky, effectively popping her back and knuckles at the same time. The mid-August sun was nothing but a sliver on the horizon. The sky was darkening and the street lights were just starting to turn on. She sighed, "Hollie's gonna give me an earful when I get back" she thought. She climbed up the hillside and started walking down the empty road. Harper couldn't keep the grin off her face as she sauntered back to St. Augustine's Home for Orphaned Children

...

Harper's ear was pressed flat against the wood panels of the bedroom floor. True to her word, Professor McGonagall had come to the orphanage two weeks after their initial meeting. Hollies reaction to the professor's offer to take Harper off her hands was exactly what she had expected.

"Yes, she can stay over the holidays if she so chooses. Many students often do."

A relieved sigh, "I love the girl, really I do. She just… Well, she just scares the other kids you know? They avoid her 'cause…" she lowered her voice "'Cause a' all the _weird _things. All the animals that hang around. She don't talk to nobody 'cept those dang animals! Most the other children 'round here just ignore her. Pretend she don't exist. Like maybe, if they ignore her enough, she'll simply disappear. Sometimes, the kids that do bully her, find mice in their shoes or bugs in their sheets. She's a clever one that girl. Whenever people come over, thinkin' to adopt her, she turns into an absolute angel. Puts on a perfect performance until she slips up and reprimands a mouse or starts talkin' to stray cats. Been here her whole life. Creeped people out even as youngin'. Brought stray animals home all the time." Another sigh, disappointed this time, "Do ya think yer' school can help her?"

"We will do everything in our power to help the young Miss Harper become a successful young lady. I assure you, Hogwarts is under the leadership of the finest headmaster it has seen these many years, Albus Dumbledore."

Another relieved sigh, "Not ta' sound mean or nothin', but it sure would be nice to have one less child to take care of. Even with all them donations, five people can only do so much when takin' care o' fourteen children. What papers do I need to sign? Are there any fees? What supplies 'll she need?"

A rustle of paper, "These are the permission forms that you must sign. There are no fees and I will personally take care her school supplies. The school year begins on September first."

Harper's heart pounded in her chest. The thought of leaving that orphanage was like a dream come true. She thought for second about what Hollie had said about her. Of course Hollie thought _she _had put the mice and bugs there. Honestly, she didn't know how that happened, although, every time it did, she quietly smiled. She started to lay her possessions out on the bed even before she heard the click of heels on the mahogany stairs. The door opened and in walked McGonagall, dressed in a dark green, wool poncho with a matching skirt that went below her knees. Her thick black stockings covered the rest of her legs and she had black leather dress shoes with a low heel. She did not seem comfortable in these clothes at all. The professor looked at the entirety of Harper's scarce wardrobe laid out on the bed.

"First things first, an extensive trip to Diagon Alley seems to be in order. New clothes, a uniform, books, cauldrons, potion ingredients and most importantly, a wand from Ollivanders."

Harper looked down and blushed a bit "Well, umm, I don't have a suitcase… I've never traveled before. Never really had the need." She looked up sheepishly and continued, "It's not a lot, but if you had a bag I could maybe borrow…" she trailed off.

"That will not be a problem Miss Costello, I assure you. Hogwarts will provide you with a trunk. In fact, you need not even bring most of those clothes. I believe we can provide you with adequate clothing. Bring what you wish."

Harper hastily emptied her school bag stuffed in a change of clothes along with her most beloved possessions: the majority of her shelf and three choice books. With her bag slung over her shoulder, the two of them walked out of the orphanage. About halfway down the street, Harper glanced up at the constantly grey sky then turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Can we stop at the library before we leave?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

The sunlight filtered through the warped glass of the windows. Harper felt the warmth on her cheek and opened her eyes. She took her time looking at the ancient, black wooden beams that held up the dilapidated room she had spent the previous night in. This certainly was a strange world she had jumped into. Of course, she took it in stride. That's what she had always done her entire life. The previous night, with very little explanation, Professor McGonagall had taken her to a dingy pub in London after an almost two hour train ride from Bristol. On the way, Harper said very little because the professor seemed very cross at having to rummage through her leather purse to count out the "confounded muggle money" for the tickets and while her face was always stern, this action seemed to make it more so. About half an hour into the train ride, Harper finally asked the first and last question of the trip:

"So, can we really find all this stuff in London?"

To which the reply was a sharp, "Of course. I will take you to Diagon Alley tomorrow, but tonight, I will get you a room in The Leaky Cauldron."

This seemed to diffuse the tension, but Harper still didn't know how to react to the whole adventure so she kept quiet. When they reached London, the Professor took her straight to a dingy looking pub that was nestled between a book shop and a record store. Harper's eyes were focused on the beautiful books on display in the book shop and didn't even notice the pub until the Professor led her to the door. As she walked in, she looked back and saw that no one else seemed to even see the old, black door. She wondered if maybe they couldn't. Harper shrugged it off and walked in. The dark pub was filled with odd characters dressed in similar robes to what McGonagall had worn at the river and a cloud of smoke from the pipes many of them were smoking hung over their heads. While the professor conversed with the bartender (she caught the name Tom), Harper watched all the people and took note of a few interesting conversations she heard. In doing so, she caught many terms and subjects she told herself she would look up when she got the means to do so. McGonagall put an arm around Harper's shoulders, effectively pulling her attention to their conversation:

"This is Harper. She was the Costellos' child. It seems they managed to leave her in a muggle orphanage before the attack."

"Poor dearie," the wrinkled old man looked at Harper with a deep look of pity, "That's a . They were both wonderful kids."

A pause, "As I said earlier, I will need to purchase a room for her to stay in tonight. We will be getting her school supplies tomorrow."

"Oh no, no. Her room is on the house tonight." Tom gave Harper a gummy smile.

"No. It's fi-"

"I insist Minerva. Really. It's the least I can do."

The professor finally gave in and turned to Harper "Well, this is where I say good night and good luck. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask Tom here. I will return for you in the morning."

Harper nodded quickly and McGonagall turned and disappeared into the crowd of people. Harper jumped when she felt Tom's wrinkled hand rest on her shoulder. He looked down, gave her another sympathetic smile then led her up a flight of stairs in the corner of the pub and down a hallway with rows of doors on either side. While they walked, Harper wondered how this many rooms could fit above the tiny pub and why the ceiling was slanted. Tom stopped near the end of the hallway, pulled a ring of keys out of his pocket, pulled one off, opened the door numbered "8" and ushered Harper inside, handing her the key as she walked in. Harper looked around the strange room. The ceiling was slanted in this little room as it was in the hallway and there was a very beautiful, ornate mirror above the desk in the corner. Out of the window, she could see a bustling alley lined with shops closing up for the day under the dusky sky. She looked back at Tom who simply bowed his head as he closed the door. Harper pulled out the over-sized t-shirt that she used as night-gown, quickly changed, put her glasses on the bed side table, and slipped under the covers of the surprisingly comfortable bed. She quickly fell asleep fully expecting to wake up back in her bed under the window.

When she woke up to the pleasant warmth on her cheek, she was surprised to be in the same room she fell asleep in. She did her morning routine of stretching every muscle in almost every pose possible while remaining in the bed. She was not a morning person and it always took her a long time to wake up completely. Finally, she put her glasses on, pulled on a clean simple, maroon t-shirt from her bag, the second-hand jeans she wore the day before, and her old converse. The silver flowery frame intrigued her and she went closer to the mirror to examine it. She caught her reflection in the mirror. She never considered any of her features out of the ordinary. Her face was girlish and well-proportioned. Her light brown eyes were surrounded by thick eyelashes and had flecks of gold when the sunlight hit them just right. The brown hair that fell on either side of her face was cut a little above chin-length so only two or three waves were ever present at one time and due to all the time she spent outside, the top layer was baked a golden color that melded back into its naturally dark state underneath. That time outside had also given her an even, honey-colored tan over her naturally fair skin. She did rather like the way her large, rectangular, turquoise-metal glasses framed her eyes and a pair of short delicate scars from being scratched by a cat as a kid marked her left cheek.

Her heart nearly stopped when out of nowhere, a polite woman's voice said:

"Untuck your shirt in the front dearie"

Harper stood straight up and looked around the room to find the source of the voice. No one else was in the room.

"Really dear, you should untuck your shirt."

The voice sounded as if it originated from the mirror. Harper just stared, wide-eyed.

"Do I honestly need to tell you a third time?"

Harper untucked the front of her shirt that had gotten caught in her jeans.

"Thank you dearie. Now you look presentable."

Harper was just wondering if the mirror was supposed to talk when she heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?" she asked as she walked towards the door, still staring at the mirror.

"Are you ready to go out? We have a lot to get done today."

Harper opened the door, "Yep… umm, is the mirror supposed to talk?"

"Yes dear, talking mirrors tell you what you need to do to fix your appearance."

"Ah, well that sounds like a genius idea."

"I thought so too," the professor sharply turned and walked down the awkward hallway and upon reaching the flight of stairs continued, "Our first visit shall be to Gringott's to withdraw some money. From there, Madam Malkin's for robes and Ollivander's for a wand. I fear the stores may be a bit crowded seeing as there is only a month until school starts," her hand rested on the brass doorknob of the large black door in the back of the pub, "I hope you don't display this lack of focus in my class Miss Costello."

Harper peeled her eyes from the dishcloth that had been wiping down the tables by itself "No Professor McGonagall, sorry."

"I understand this is all very new to you Harper, but do try and stay focused on the task at hand."

Harper nodded and the professor opened the door. At first, Harper's attention was caught by the shining surfaces of the cauldrons in the closest shop window. She could have sworn there were cauldrons of every metal and size imaginable in that store. Her eyes then quickly jumped to the signs hanging above each door. She wanted to go inside and explore each and every shop as she closely followed the professor. Harper heard so many very strange things as the two walked, that she stopped trying to keep track and allowed herself to be enveloped by the sights, sounds, and smells of the wondrous place.

Standing tall above the throngs of people at the end of the alley was a massive, leaning building made of beautiful white marble. Even stranger than the building however, were the creatures working inside it. Harper had noticed the one in a scarlet uniform standing guard just outside the doors. Only a little shorter than herself, these creatures had clever little faces with rather pointed ears and noses. Frankly, they sent shivers down her spine for some inexplicable reason

"Who… or what, are they?" she whispered.

"Goblins miss Costello. It would serve you well to keep your head down around them."

And she did just that. Focusing on the trailing robes of the witch in front of her, she noticed how shiny the marble floors were and saw the funny little goblins hastily filled out paperwork, inspecting jewelry and weighing rubies the size of her fist on brass scales from the corner of her eye. Earlier, McGonagall had mentioned getting money from this "Gringotts" so she assumed it was a bank. But Harper had no knowledge of having her own account so where would the money come from and how would they get it puzzled her. McGonagall abruptly halted in front of her and she didn't notice until it was almost too late.

"I have come to make a withdrawal from the account of young Miss. Costello here," she drew a small brass key from the folds of her robes, "This is her key," and placed it on the desk in front of an older goblin with small spectacles.

"Very well Miss. McGonagall. If you would follow me please," the goblin slid off his pedestal and lead the two witches to one of the many doors lining the great marble hallway.

Behind the door was an elevator. Harper didn't know what to expect seeing when the doors opened at the bottom, but it certainly wasn't what she saw. Rather than the pristine marble of the building, the walls were bare rock lined with torches that rather resembled a mineshaft with tracks for a cart running down the middle. There were huge vault doors lining the walls as far as her eye could see. The goblin gestured to the cart that sat on the railing. The three climbed in and the cart took off at a phenomenal speed that sucked the air out of her lungs.

"Vault seven-hundred and twenty-eight," the party got out and walked over to the vault where the goblin inserted the small golden key into the door, causing a whir of gears to hum inside.

When the huge black door swung open, Harper literally gasped. Harper never actually gasped at anything before, but she had never even seen a real ruby, sapphire or emerald before in her life, let alone such a huge pile. The rainbow of light that all the exquisite jewels reflected dazzled her to the very core of her being.

"This… This isn't… _mine_… is it?" Harper could barely find the air to speak.

"The late Mrs. Costello requested that her family's life-savings be kept in the form of cut and polished precious jewels. We all thought it a very odd request."

The professor smiled "She always did have a flair for the extravagant."

And so it came to be that Harper J. Costello possessed more wealth than she could have ever fathomed in her life at the orphanage. They only grabbed two small jewels from the vault and cashed them in on the top floor, providing them with more than enough money to purchase school supplies. With a large leather pouch full of coins jangling in her hand, she followed the elder witch out of the bank. On her way out, she re-evaluated the saying that was engraved just inside the door:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_  
_Of what awaits the sin of greed_  
_For those who take, but do not earn,_  
_Must pay most dearly in their turn._  
_So if you seek beneath our floors_  
_A treasure that was never yours,_  
_Thief, you have been warned, beware_  
_Of finding more than treasure there_.

After meeting the goblins, the threat did not sound empty.

Their next stop was Madam Malkin's robe shop. When they reached the door of the warm little shop, the professor left after explaining to the young girl that she would go collect the books required by the supplies list. When Harper protested saying that she really wanted to join, the wise witch simply said "Exactly" and put her hand out expectantly for the money that Harper begrudgingly handed over. Finally realizing how much of a comfort the professor had been, the butterflies started ramming her stomach walls the moment she stepped inside the shop. When a squat, smiling witch in all mauve robes asked her if she was going to Hogwarts, Harper could feel her cheeks burn.

"Now, now dear, no need to be shy. Just come back here and get your robes fitted. There is no one else back there at the moment so don't you worry," the witch smiled sweetly which seemed to calm Harper down marginally.

Following her, Harper entered a small room with multiple floor to ceiling mirrors and two platforms. She stepped onto on of the platforms and tried to take deep breathes. The kind woman had pulled a robe over her head and deftly started to pin up the fabric when the bell at the door rang. She noticed the fabric was still being adjusted even though the one she assumed was Madam Malkin had gone over to greet the other customer. After a moment of inaudible mumbling, a boy walked into the room and stood on the other platform. His slicked back, platinum-blond hair, pale skin, sharp features and choking arrogance that exuded from the very sway of his stride gave Harper the impression that this boy had an enormous superiority complex. She assumed that this would make him ignore her entire existence and she was perfectly fine with that.

"Hogwarts?" the bored, drawling voice of the boy seemed to perfectly match the contemptuous aura that surrounded him.

A blank stare from Harper, "…what?"

He raised a blond eyebrow, "Will you be attending Hogwarts this year? I assume you are being fit for school robes."

Another burning of her cheeks "Oh! Ya... Hogwarts… School."

She could tell he thought she was not all there, "Ah. Well, first year I presume?"

"Uhh, yes,"he lifted an arm when a floating needle prodded her.

"Mine as well. What house do you think you will be placed in? I know I will be placed in Slithering. It has been a family tradition for generations," his face was smug.

"House?"

The boys eyes went about as wide as they could go and it seemed the air seemed to go cold, "You… you're not… a muggle-born are you?" He spat out the word "muggle-born" as if it were a poison on his tongue.

"Umm,'muggle' meaning non-magical people correct?"

A slow nod from the boy assured Harper that he thought her mad.

"Well, I know that both my parents went to Hogwarts so I don't think so."

"You don't _think_ so? How do you not know at least _that _much about the people who raised you?"

Harper looked at the ground, "I never met my parents. I'm pretty sure they are dead by the way everyone talks about them. I grew up in what Professor McGonagall called a 'muggle orphanage'. In fact," a nervous chuckle, "I'm still trying to get used to all this magic stuff."

The boy's face was one of utter incompetence. The needles had to prod his arm a few times before he noticed and complied with their demands.

"Well dearie, that seems to fit right and proper. Nothing pinching or poking anywhere?" Madam Malkin appeared and gently pulled the robes off the girl's shoulders.

"Uhh, no ma'am."

"Good, good. Now, let's get you set up with your robes up front shall we?"

While Madam Malkin put her arm around Harper's shoulders and led her back to the front room, Harper took a look back at the strange boy who simply watched her leave with one eyebrow raised. After Harper got her robes and paid the shop-owner, she walked out and looked around for professor McGonagall. When she couldn't find her, she went to a nearby ice-cream vendor and got a cone of green-tea ice cream with cherry sauce drizzled on it (she had never tasted either before). Sitting on the store-front steps working on the delicious treat on her hand, she saw a huge, hairy, lumbering man pointing to the sign above her head. His other hand completely swallowed the shoulder of a scrawny boy with round spectacles and a mop of black hair. The boy then made his way to the shop by himself, his hands nervously fidgeting and his bright green eyes wide with amazement. Harper chuckled to herself because she recognized that expression as the same one she wore whenever she looked around the place and assumed that he was new to the whole magical world like her. She wondered for a moment what the meeting between he and the pale boy inside would look like as she savored the last bite of her now favorite kind of ice cream cone.

"Are you finished here Miss. Costello?" Professor McGonagall had just weaved her way out of the crowd with an armful of textbooks.

"Yes I think so. Where should we go next? The pet shop looked interesting. Why don't we go there?"

"I'm afraid not. The essentials are more important right now. You still need a cauldron, some quills and a wand."

And so, the two visited the store that had caught Harper's attention first. Of course, Minerva didn't waste any time getting only what the supplies list called for, refusing to let Harper buy the small silver one that caught her eye. Then, they went over to the quill shop which was again, dull because the professor remained strict and would not allow Harper to spend any money on the quill that had been charmed to check spelling. Carrying all her supplies in the cauldron, Harper followed the professor down the alley. Suddenly, the older witch stopped and turned to Harper.

Her tone was extremely serious when she said "Now Miss. Costello, your wand will be the most important thing you will ever own. I hope you take the task of finding the correct one very seriously," her serious demeanor slackened slightly, "In our world, most wizarding parents would give anything to be there when their child receives his or first wand." She gently placed a hand on Harper's shoulder, "Don't be nervous. You will understand when you speak to Mr. Ollivander."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

With the professor's heavy words resounding in her head, Harper was directed by McGonagall to an odd shop whose sign read "Ollivander's: Maker of fine wands since 382 BC". In the window display, there was a single open box with a purple cushion and wand inside. The inside of the shop had nothing but shelf after shelf packed with boxes like the one on display and a plain cushioned chair sitting in the middle of the floor space. She could literally feel some kind of strange energy buzzing in dusty air around her and assumed that was what magic felt like. Her nerves returned due to being alone, but her curiosity soon over-powered, causing her investigate the nearest shelf of boxes.

Suddenly, a dry, ancient voice came from behind the nearest shelf and its short, white-haired owner followed shortly after, "Ah, first year at Hogwarts I presume?"

Harper nodded. The old man with wide, moon-like eyes smiled and grabbed a small tape measure from his desk. As he walked towards her, he dropped the tape measure that strangely, did not fall to the floor. Instead, it floated mysteriously over and started to measure her, from head to toe, ear to ear and shoulder to fingertip as the man spoke:

"Good, good. I see you came with professor McGonagall. I always wondered when you would show up. Your parents were both very accomplished wizards and I expect nothing less from their only child." Ollivander said with a wink.

Harper blushed. The strange old man disappeared into the forest of shelves while the tape measure measured the circumference of her head. The store was eerily quiet with the only sounds being the rustle of the tape measure and the moving of boxes.

Finally, Ollivander returned with an open box and said, "English oak, 11 ¾ inches, dragon heartstring, rather unyielding," and handed her the wand.

Harper just stared at the piece of wood in her hand, then at the old man with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, go on. Give it a wave," it sounded as though he repeated this phrase many times a day.

Harper complied, expecting some sparks or a flame or something. But nothing happened. Ollivander swiftly took the wand, put it back in its box and hurried back to the shelves. The tape measure was measuring from the base of her skull to her pelvis when Ollivander, returning with another box, and tapped strange measuring rope causing it to fall to the floor in a heap.

"Try this one out. Rosewood, 11 inches, phoenix feather, pleasantly springy."

Harper picked it out of its box and gave it a wide swish expecting nothing to happen however, the moment she brought her hand down, an entire row of boxes on the shelf in front of her explosively leapt off the shelf. Harper stared wide-eyed at the mess and gently placed the wand back in its box.

Harper nervously chuckled a bit, "Uhh, whoops... umm… Here, I'll help you clean that up."

Ollivander smiled, "No, no my dear. It is no worry. That happens all the time. We just need to find you the right wand and I think I now know just the one."

This time, the old man happily hummed as he searched around one of the furthest shelves of the shop. He dug around for quite a while before returning. In his hand he held a box but this time he didn't open it. He gave Harper a quizzical look then wiped the thick layer of dust off the box.

"I wonder…" he chortled a bit to himself and gently took the lid off the box, "Let's try this out shall we? Hazel wood, 12½ inches, unicorn hair, reasonably pliant."

Harper picked the wand out of its box, but this one felt warm in her hands. The handle seemed to fit her grip perfectly and she could feel that same strange energy buzzing in the shop concentrated in her hand. She gave it a swish, much smaller and smoother this time hoping to not cause any more damage. To her amazement, a small, white flower bud poked out the tip and rapidly grew in size. Both Harper and Ollivander stared wide-eyed at the obviously unusual spectacle. When the slender white bud was about seven inches tall, the petals fell back to create a beautiful satin-white magnolia blossom that glowed with soft light and then broke off from the wand and fell, spinning, to the floor. She recognized the blossom as _magnolia grandilflora_, her favorite flower though she had only ever seen pictures. Looking back up to the old man's face, she thought she saw a tear well up in the corner of one eye. He straightened himself and looked at the girl who stood in his shop with disbelief.

"That was some of the most beautiful magic I have ever seen performed by a first-time wand holder. Only one other person has ever accomplished such a feat in this shop and she has long since passed away. Of course, she had the same peculiar type of wand that you now possess," he adjusted his spectacles, "You see, when hazel wood and unicorn hair are combined, something odd happens. The wand becomes so loyal to its original master that it not only refuses to work for anyone else, but when the master dies, so does the one has ever been able to explain why. Very few people in history have ever come to master one, but when they did, they performed the most beautiful magic and you seem to be no exception." He chuckled again, "Masters for these wands are so rare that I almost never made a second one. The unicorn whose hair resides in that wand just so happens to originate from the Forbidden Forest. She was a peculiar thing who put up no fight to my taking a hair from her and in fact walked right up to me. I knew that her hair needed to be in something special and here it is."

Harper picked up the blossom, "Why would… I've never even seen magic before, so why…" she trailed off.

"The wand chooses its master Miss. Costello. Wand-lore is a very complex and mysterious area of magic and even I cannot explain how each wand makes its decision but one thing is always clear. There is always a purpose for each wand. Now, whether that purpose is good or bad, great or small, is up the wizard or witch who controls it."

She could do nothing more than stand there holding the large blossom cupped in her hands. Its soft, sweet scent soothed her nerves as she thought about what the strange old man meant. She hadn't really thought about people using magic for evil. She supposed it made sense though, humans were humans after all. She thanked and paid the old man then walked out of the store with a heavy feeling. 'If Professor McGonagall could use magic to turn into a cat whenever she wished, what sort of bad things could someone else do with it?' she wondered as the door closed behind her. Her thoughts were wondering around with what might be possible when McGonagall walked up to her, hands empty. 'What...' thought Harper when she saw the large trunk with what she recognized as the Hogwarts crest pull up beside the professor. On its own.

"I believe we are finished here. I already took the liberty of purchasing a trunk for your equipment and exchanging some of your money for muggle currency," She waved for Harper to follow her as she made her way back to the Leaky Cauldron and continued, "You will stay in your room tonight and in the morning, I have some business to attend to here so you may visit other stores in your free time if you wish. In the afternoon, I will return you to Mrs. Hollie as I am sure she misses you dearly."

Harper rolled her eyes and smiled. This was the first joke the professor had made in her presence and she could tell that it would be a rare occurrence. The next day, Harper spent all morning going up and down the alley looking at all the shops. She told herself she would save Eylops owl emporium for last since so she could spend more time thinking about what kind of pet she would get. She went into many stores looking at all the strange wares from flying broomsticks and 'quaffles' in a bright, cheery 'quidditch' store to bins of dragon teeth and dried slugs in a dim-lit potions ingredients shop. Then, she discovered that there were regular clothing stores in the alley and thought that she could do with some new clothes. For the first time in her life, she had the opportunity to shop for brand new clothes yet she only bought a few shirts, a new pair of black converse, two new pairs of jeans, and a thick, black sweater for winter time. She had never had this much money before and decided that she wanted to save as much of it as she could (which made her realize why the professor had not allowed her to buy the things she wanted the day before). By the time she finished searching for the lowest price on clothing, the morning was almost gone yet she still had no idea what kind of pet she wanted. Rushing over to Eyelop's Emporium, she thought about which pet would be most practical. She was looking at a Siamese cat that had two tails when she noticed a large cage with a cloth cover over it. She picked up the corner of the cloth and saw a sad sight. Inside the cage, was large, sickly male barn owl. Its left wing was tightly wrapped in bandages and he slowly turned his head to find the new source of light in his cage. Harper hated seeing injured animals and had just decided that she would purchase this owl when she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw the professor shaking her head. When Harper opened her mouth to protest, the hands grip tightened. With a lump in her throat, Harper gave in and followed McGonagall out of the store and back to her room where she silently packed away her new clothes in her trunk with the image of the poor owl constantly in her head. When she finished, the professor hurried her out of the bar and to the train station so that they would not miss the train. Soon after they settled into their seats, Harper decided to finally ask about her parents.

The elder witch's face fell at the mention of the Costellos, "Well, Your mother was a Gryffindor and your father was a Ravenclaw. You may not understand the significance of this, but you will when you get to Hogwarts and learn about the houses. In any case, they were both very wonderful and talented students although your mother was a bit of a handful," the edges of her lips twitched at memories that flashed across her mind.

Harper smiled knowing that her parents were remembered well, "So, what happened to them? I'm assuming that they are… You know…"

The professor looked Harper straight in her eyes and Harper could see the pity she had seen on their first encounter, "Yes, they are dead. They were killed soon after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came into power. He sought them out for their talents and when the both of them refused to join his ranks, he hunted them down. When he couldn't find them, he sent death-eaters out to kill what was left of her family in order to draw the both of them out," a heavy sigh, "Your mother always had a head-strong, fiery passion especially when it came to the ones she loved. Even if it meant putting herself in danger…" a pause, "In the battle, she alone took down an impressive twelve death-eaters but they still lost in the end. Everyone who knew that you were born had assumed that you were killed as well."

Harper turned and looked at the passing scenery out of the train. She was turning the new information over and over again in her head.

"We didn't learn until it was too late that your father placed you in the care of the muggle orphanage to protect you. He knew that the death-eaters would never have looked for you there," The Professor turned to look out the window as well, "Clever young boy he was. He was at the top of the class in his last two years at Hogwarts. Not one for socializing but very kind all the same. You do look very much like him," she smiled slightly then looked down, "Very clever boy… He left your vault key and a note explaining his decision to leave you so that I may find it, but I didn't realize until it was too late. I assumed his death came as a surprise to him and didn't think… in any case, we couldn't pull you out of the world you grew up in at that point," she sighed heavily and met Harper's wide-eyed gaze with a look of sincere apology, "I am truly sorry. If I had paid more attention and been more open-minded, you would have never had to grow up in the muggle world. You could have grown up knowing about your abilities and who your parents were. I suppose you already understand just how cruel muggle children can be to people like us."

Harper couldn't stand seeing the professor look so sad without the air of power and severity she had possessed only moments ago. So she grabbed one of the woman's delicate hands in both of hers and met the elderly witches gaze with soft kindness and a small smile.

"There is no need to apologize. I am here now and that is what matters. Yes, the other kids were terrible, but I think it makes me a stronger person in the end. Besides," she lightly chuckled, "If I had grown up around magic, then it wouldn't be such an adventure to me now," she felt very odd consoling the woman whom she found rather intimidating and would soon be her teacher.

Professor McGonagall was amazed by the wisdom in the young girl's words. Harper could see in her eyes that she hadn't expected her to accept the apology and was lost for words. Harper gently released her hand and turned to continue looking out the window with a smile on her face. After a few moments, the professor did the same. The rest of the trip was silent but Harpers thought were swimming through what she had just been told. Her mixed emotions confused her as she was normally very in control of them, but she eventually decided that while her mother's decision was not the wisest, she died trying to avenge her family and that her father's decision to leave her was for her own protection. Content with her decision, she spent the rest of the trip wondering and imagining what her new life as a witch would be like.

By the time the two witches reached St. Augustine's Orphanage, Harper's arm was tired from dragging her rather heavy trunk and Professor McGonagall was back to her serious, authoritative self. At the door, McGonagall handed Harper a train ticket, reminded her to be punctual, said goodbye and quickly left the girl standing on the concrete steps. Harper walked through the door and lugged her trunk up the creaky stairs to her room where all the girls were already in their beds. None of them did more than glance at her and sneer. Harper silently took pride in dashing their hopes that she wasn't returning. When she had left, Harper herself didn't know whether or not she would be coming back so she took many of her things with her and even returned her library book. Her bed was exactly as she had left it when she flopped down on it and thought about where she would be going at the end of the month. Even as she took her shower and got ready for bed, she kept trying to imagine what Hogwarts would be like.

Harper had never been excited to go back to school before, but that August, she could hardly contain her excitement. She walked dogs and traipsed the streets during the day as she always had but would read out of her new textbooks every evening. She loved the smell of the new paper and the beauty of the ink dancing across the pages. Occasionally, she would bring her wand down to the river at sunset and examine the beautiful pattern of the handle while trying to explain everything she had seen in Diagon Alley to Brutus who patiently listened to her ramblings. When she couldn't sleep at night, she would whisper the wonders she had seen to Loki, the ferret who started to visit more often since her return from London.

…

Finally, on the first of September, she woke up with the sun and got a train to Kings Cross Station. Pushing her trunk on a trolley, she traversed the crowded train station in search of the platform stated on the ticket. She realized she had been naive in thinking that the platforms would be labeled differently than the station back home because platform nine and three quarters did not exist. She was debating whether or not she should approach the attendant and ask where the platform was when she saw a girl with extremely curly, dark brown hair and the exact same Hogwarts trunk as her own walk by. Harper decided to quietly shadow her to see if she figure out how to find the mysterious platform. The girl was with a woman who looked exactly like her but a little taller with straight hair who Harper assumed was the girl's mother. The woman leaned put her hand on her daughter's shoulder and pointed to a brick column between platforms nine and ten. The girl nodded and the woman started to briskly walk. Straight through the column. Harper couldn't believe her eyes when the woman disappeared into the brick. She then realized that she would have to ask somebody for help and the girl with the curly hair was as good as any other.

She started to jog, "Hey! Hey wait!" the girl turned before she could start towards the wall and Harper stopped beside her, "Uhhh, hi. So umm, how would I do… that," She pointed to brick column.

The girl looked at Harper wide-eyed for a moment then noticed her trunk, "Uhhh well, you just walk straight into it… theoretically. My mum said its best to go a bit faster since this is my first time," Harper joined her in a nervous, awkward chuckle.

After a moment of awkward silence, the girl turned back towards the column, took a deep breath and started in a slow jog towards it. She disappeared into the wall just as her mother did before. Then, it was Harper's turn to take a deep breath and start towards the wall. Still expecting to smack straight into the brick, she was amazed when she passed through with nothing but an odd crackling across her skin. On the other side was a completely different platform filled with oddly dressed people like the ones in Diagon Alley. Waiting for her were the girl and her mother, smiling at her. Harper was honestly not expecting either of them to wait for her and it made her feel good to know that they thought about her.

"First year at Hogwarts too dear?" the mother asked.

"Uhh, yes," Harper looked down blushing furiously.

"Well, where are your parents? Do you need help looking for them?"

"Well… They are uhhh… gone. I'm here by myself."

The woman seemed to immediately understand, "Oh I'm sorry dear. Do you have any friends around to sit with on the train?"

Harper shook her head.

"Well," she jokingly put her hand on the side of her mouth and lowered her voice, "Tayler here doesn't have many friends either so I'm sure she'd love to sit with you."

Tayler looked down, her hair making a frizzy curtain in front of her face. Harper looked down too and the woman laughed. It was then that Harper realized maybe she would finally be able to make friends here in this crazy magical world.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Amazing. That word kept running through Harpers mind. The beautiful green blur of trees and the rolling hills of the country side grabbed her attention the moment the train left the station and kept her silently staring for most of the trip. Lucky for her, her new friend Tayler didn't mind the silence and was in fact silent herself. They both stared out the window watching the beautiful scenery as they sped by until an older lady pushing a cart knocked on the glass door of their compartment. They looked at her and she slid open the glass door.

"Anything from the trolley dears?"

Harper and Tayler looked at each other for a moment. Just one look at the rainbow of candies, cakes and cookies and Harper pulled out her money, Tayler following suit. Between the two girls, they bought at least one of everything. In the orphanage, candy and sweets were a rarity. Only when Harper decided to spend what little money she earned on the delicious bits of sugar did she get any. The rest of the trip, the two girls made small talk about where they came from and Tayler answering Harpers questions about the wizarding world while they munched on the candy. It was the most she had ever talked to another person before and she found it rather pleasant. Most of the trip passed uneventfully but at some point, a girl with bushy brown hair came over, opened their door and looked at the both of them.

"You haven't seen a toad around here have you? A boy named Neville has just lost one."

The girls shook their heads, "Well, you should change into your robes. We will be arriving soon."

With that, she left and the girls decided to follow bossy girl's advice then continue their conversation. By the time the train reached the school, the sun had gone down and the kids shuffled out the train by the light of the lamp posts at the station. Confused in the shuffle, Harper and Tayler stayed close to each other. Harper looked around and noticed the extremely large man she had seen in Diagon Alley holding a lantern yelling over the kids voices for first years to follow him. All the kids who looked like they knew where they were going, boarded strange, horse-less carriages while all the first-years followed the giant man like dazed and confused ducklings.

They were led down a narrow path through thick trees to the edge of a massive lake where dozens of row boats with lanterns on the helms and no oars waited. Across the lake, on top of a rocky cliff, she could see the battlements and towers of the castle pierce the starry night sky. The giant man told them that there weren't to be "no more'n four to a boat" and when all the kids were boarded, he yelled "FORWARD" causing the fleet to move smoothly across the glassy surface of the water. Harper told herself she would never get used to objects doing things on their own and decided to take look around. On a boat to her right, the near white hair of the boy from the shop stood out in the inky blackness surrounding them. On either side of him, two hulking boys that reminded her of gorillas were silently looking around in awe. Altogether, Harper found the image rather amusing and smiled silently to herself. On another boat to her left, the striking red hair of another boy stood out and next to him were the bushy-haired girl and the strange boy she had seen going into the shop that day in Diagon Alley. She found him intriguing and wondered why he seemed so odd.

The thought was pushed from her mind when the light radiating from the castle caught her attention. The beauty of the ancient castle took her breath away. The warm, flickering lights glowing from the windows reflected on the glass surface of the lake. When they reached the cliff on which the castle sat, everyone ducked their heads on the command of the giant man and passed through a curtain of ivy that hid a long dark tunnel beneath the castle. At the end of the tunnel, there was a small harbor in which the boats docked and the students hurried out of their boats onto the rocky shore. They then clambered up stone steps and onto a large, green lawn in front of a pair of huge oak doors. The huge, hairy man knocked on the massive doors three times (after returning a toad to a boy she presumed was Neville) and they swung open to reveal the tall, severe witch Harper recognized as Professor McGonagall. She then took charge of the fumbling children and led them through the massive main hall, past another set of ridiculously large doors from which Harper could hear hundreds of other voices and into a rather cramped side room. Harper and Tayler stayed close together while they stared in awe at the moving paintings that greeted them as they walked by. In the chaotic shuffle, Harper bumped into another girl with brown, rectangular glasses and long hair similar in color to her own.

"Sorry," Harper whispered.

"Oh, no problem," the girl looked at Harper for second, "I like your glasses," she blurted out, then looked down in shame.

"Oh," here was another girl who, like Tayler, was about as awkward as herself, "Uhhh, thank you? Ha-ha. I'm Harper."

The girl looked up and smiled faintly, "Miranda."

And with that, the three stuck together in the surrounding chaos until the group settled down in their slightly cramped surroundings.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," started the professor, "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into you houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because while you are here, your house will be like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting," glanced at a nearby student, "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

Harper was nervously wondering what the professor meant by "smarten yourselves up" when all of the sudden, a group of ghosts hot in debate passed through one of the walls and flew right over their heads. Harper was too surprised by their silver, shimmering appearance to hear what they were saying but a fat one in friar robes did take notice of them and say something about Hufflepuff before going through the opposite wall. Once she got over the shock of seeing the misty specters, Harper noticed a confrontation between the pale boy with his gorillas and the strange boy with his red-head friend. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she saw the pale boy sneer in contempt and walk away while the red-head sniggered. Harper smiled. That boy seemed to be in sore need of people who don't think he owned the world.

The doors swung open behind her and out spilled the subtle yet delicious smells of food, the warm light of a thousand candles and hum of chatter from the mass of people inside. When she looked up, she could clearly see the stars above the floating candles and wondered if there was even a ceiling there at all. She assumed it was magic but decided to focus more on her immediate surroundings when she almost tripped over a small boy in front of her. McGonagall led the first years down the rows of other students sitting at their four long, wooden tables with golden dishes before them. Harper took in all the mixed emotions from all the older students. The majority looked at them with a mix of nostalgia and kindness while others (mostly clustered in the tables beneath green banners with silver snakes on them) sneered at them with contempt, much like the pale boy. In the front of the hall was a long row of tables where the teachers sat.

When Harper spotted Professor McGonagall again, she was placing a tattered, frayed and clearly dirty pointed hat on a stool. Harper was wondering what on earth the significance of the hat could be when it twitched. She was taken aback for a moment before a rip near the brim opened wide and started to sing:

"_Oh, you may not think I'm Pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see, _

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall, _

_For I'm the Hogwarts sorting hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The sorting hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor, _

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring nerve and chivalry _

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a thinking cap!" _

The hall surged with the students' energetic applause as the hat bowed to each of the four tables. Harper looked around at the sheer happiness that surrounded her. She could sense the intense emotions and had to take a deep breath to focus on her immediate surroundings again. She took the time to notice the girls on either side of her and their excitement. They made her smile contently and she continued letting the excitement of the Great Hall roll over her in waves as it died down and professor McGonagall pulled out a scroll from the folds of her robe.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," the professor looked over the first years then back to her scroll, "Abbot, Hannah."

A nervous, blushing girl stumbled up, placed the too-big hat on her head and sat down. The hall was silent for a moment then-

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table under yellow banners with badgers on them exploded in applause. Many other names were called before Harper's and she noticed that the tables under the red banners with golden lions belonged to her mother's house, Gryffindor, the tables under the blue banner with bronze eagles belonged to her father's house, Ravenclaw, and the tables with the sneering kids belonged to the pale boy's supposed house, Slytherin.

"Costello, Harper."

'Well, this is it,' thought Harper. She could feel the excited looks from her new friends and the questioning, judgmental look from the 'pale boy' (that name was really starting to stick in her mind) who thought she was crazy as she walked up to the stool. She sat down and gently placed the hat on her head, its brim resting on her glasses. Its raspy voice resonated in her mind.

"Hmmm, a rather odd girl I see. You might be a bit tricky. Plenty of wisdom and wit in there. A good amount of passion. Definite kindness and empathy… Oh, and what's this? A strong sense of adventure eh?" the small voice in her ear made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, "Lots of creativity and talent as well, but where to put you? Gryffindor may serve you well but…Hmmmm," Harper was already nervous, but then wondered what would happen if she were sorted into the wrong house when the hat bellowed, "RAVENCLAW!"

Her table gave a modest round of applause and greeted her. She had noticed earlier that different houses had different levels of excitement. She had already put them in order from most excitement to least: Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw then Slytherin. She settled down in a seat between two of the more friendly looking kids at the table and continued to watch for her new friends and people she recognized. She learned that the bushy-haired girl's name was 'Hermoine Granger' and was placed in Gryffindor. McGonagall called 'Kauper, Tayler' and she walked up about as gracefully as Harper did. It took the hat a moment to make a decision and it decided she belonged in Ravenclaw with Harper. She immediately smiled and bounded over to sit next to Harper who took her up in an excited hug. As the list of names continued, she discovered that the 'pale boy's name was Draco Malfoy and the hat didn't even come to a full rest on his head before it deemed him a Slytherin just as he predicted. When the strange boy with black hair walked up, the entire hall went into a flurry of whispers. This boy's name was Harry Potter and the Gryffindor table made more noise than any other table that night when the hat placed him in their house. This reaction peaked her interest and she whispered to Tayler when the ruckus had settled:

"Is that boy special or something?"

Tayler looked at her in disbelief, "That's Harry Potter! Have you seriously ne…" and then recognition passed over her face, "Oh, yeah. You don't know. Well, I assume you know abo…" she turned to look back at the ceremony, "Wait, its Miranda's turn."

Miranda Raines was blushing and fidgeting for a few moments before the hat called out, "Hufflepuff!"

Harper and Tayler gave each other a disappointed looks, "Oh, well. We'll see her around. I'll tell you about Potter later. I'm starving and the ceremony shouldn't last too much longer."

Harper was hungry too and continued matching names to faces in case the knowledge would be useful to her later although the only other person that caught her attention was 'Ronald Weasley'. The only reason this boy caught her attention was because when he walked to the Gryffindor table, he was heartily greeted by three other boys with similar flaming red hair and sat next to the Potter boy. After 'Zabini, Blaise' was put into Slytherin, McGonagall rolled the scroll up and put it back into her robes.

Suddenly, an odd looking man sitting in the center of the teachers table stood up. Both his silver hair and beard could have easily been tucked into his belt and a pair of half-moon glasses rested on his rather crooked nose. Harper could tell from the respect his presence demanded that he was Dumbledore, the headmaster Tayler had talked about on the train. She said he was the most powerful, wise and well-respected wizard around, the greatest headmaster Hogwarts had ever seen. His kind smile assured Harper that Tayler hadn't been exaggerating.

'"Welcome!" His voice echoed over the silent hall, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddments! Tweak! Thank you!"

Harper gave Tayler a quizzical look. She simply shrugged. 'Well that was odd' Harper thought. When she looked back at the table, the gold plates were piled with every food Harper could think of. Many of the dishes were things she had only seen looking through the windows of restaurants in her hometown. She filled her own plate with little bits of everything and started to eat. She was a bit overwhelmed with the freedom and sheer amount of food but still managed to force herself to slowly savor everything. She was used to eating at a crowded table and simply ate her meal in silence, listening in to the other students conversations about who they thought was going to win the house or quidditch cup, what new classes they were taking, stories of how first years discovered their magic and of course, the famous Harry Potter. Harper took the opportunity to observe some of the older students. Many of them at her table seemed to be talking about the tests which made Harper think, 'Seriously guys? Aren't those at the end of the year?' and laugh a little in her head. One of the nicer, older girls was questioning a first year muggle-born about her home and family. Some other housemates of hers were discussing the humane rights of house elves, whatever those were.

"So, where are you from?"

Harper jumped at the voice of the boy next to her, "Oh! ... umm, sorry what?"

The softly spiked tips of the boys black hair shook slightly as he chuckled, "Spacing out much? I asked where you are from."

"Oh," another nervous giggle, "Uh, Bristol."

The boy smirked playfully, "Cool, I'm from Richmond," he noticed Harper looking down, "I don't bite you know. I'm not a werewolf," he hooked his fingers in the sides of his mouth and pulled, showing his straight, white teeth, "See?"

The both of them laughed, then Harper suddenly stopped and looked at the boy wide-eyed, "Do werewolves actually exist?" she quietly asked.

"Of course. I even heard there are some in…" he leaned towards Harper and pretended to whisper for dramatic effect, "The Forbidden Forest!"

Harper knew from Tayler what the Forbidden Forest was and stared, her mouth slightly open.

At this, the lanky boy of obvious Asian decent almost fell backwards laughing, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Well not the werewolf part. They do exist, but not in the forbidden forest. I think they just say that to keep us out," he said after he calmed down, "Anyways, I still haven't introduced myself have I? My name is Shen. You?"

"Harper," she said quietly, blushing and looking down again.

"Well, shy little Harper, you might not want to be so gullible. Especially around those Slytherins. They will take full advantage if you give them the chance. By the way, if you ever need help finding your way or something, just let me know. I am a prefect after all," he puffed out his chest, winked and turned around to re-join the conversation he had earlier with the boy on the other side of him.

Harper smiled and went back to silently enjoying her food, occasionally talking to Tayler. When she and most of the people at her table had finished, the dinner plates disappeared and dessert appeared. She took full advantage of the spread before her, letting her love for chocolate take over, and ate till she couldn't possibly eat anymore. For the first time she could remember, she was actually full. Living with thirteen other kids in an under-funded orphanage, seconds were never really an option. She was feeling drowsy and content when all the desserts disappeared and Dumbledore rose to the podium again, filling the hall with silence.

"Ahem- just a few words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give to you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well," his twinkling eyes glanced at the Gryffindor table for a moment, "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harper was confused and wondered what could possibly be so dangerous in the school then remembered that this was a magical school. And werewolves were real. Shen looked rather confused as well and mumbled something like 'usually tells us these things' as did many other older students. Harper felt the seriousness on his tone meant it was no joke and decided to stay clear of the mentioned area.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" he cried and Harper noticed the teachers' putting on the same forced smile that Hollie had every time she asked to keep a stray cat as a small child.

He flicked his wand and out of the tip, a golden ribbon flowed, twisting its way into words high above the teachers table, "Everyone pick their favorite tune, and off we go!"

The joyous song filled the air:

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with shabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff, _

_For now they're bare and full of air, _

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest, and learn until our brains all rot." _

The dissonance of people finishing the songs at different times was rather amusing to Harper who had only mumbled her way through. She had to hold herself together when two identical members from the red-head group finished their funeral march tune much later than everyone else.

"Ah, music," he wiped the small tears from the corners of his eyes, "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

And with that, Shen and another older girl led all the Ravenclaw first years out of the hall, with many greetings from the paintings, to the western tower, and up a long flight of spiral stairs to yet another oak door. His one however did not have a door handle, rather a large eagle shaped knocker. When Shen approached, its beak opened and it asked:

"If you have me, you want to share me, but if you give me away, I no longer exist. What am I?"

Shen answered with Harper's exact thought, "A secret."

Harper was surprised that she was even able to answer the question because she had been so tired that she didn't talk the entire way to the room and Tayler had to lead her by the arm to their dorm. The only thing she noticed of the large common room was the midnight blue carpet. She entered her new dorm and snapped out of her drowsy stupor when she noticed that on the bed with her luggage next to it, was a small cage. From behind the thin silver bars, two huge, dark eyes stared at her.


End file.
